EMOMALI RAKHMON

The security chiefs of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have sat down for talks to stop fighting on the border between the two countries that has killed at least 24 people and wounded over 100.

Tajikistan Russia Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon pose for a photo during their meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Tuesday, June 28, 2022. (Alexander Shcherbak, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) (Alexander Shcherbak)MOSCOW — (AP) — President Vladimir Putin says Russia is trying to build relations with the Taliban and that Russia wants to see all the ethnic groups in Afghanistan take part in running the country. “We are doing everything so that the situation in that country normalizes,” Putin said in Dushanbe, the Tajik capital. Although Russia designates the Taliban as a terrorist group, the Taliban have representation in Russia and a delegation attended the recent St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Putin on Wednesday will be in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat for a summit of leaders of Caspian Sea littoral states.

President Vladimir Putin says Russia is trying to build relations with the Taliban and that Russia wants to see all the ethnic groups in Afghanistan take part in running the country.

The interim mayor of Afghanistan’s capital says many female city employees have been ordered to stay home by the country’s new Taliban rulers.

The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin is in self-isolation after people in his inner circle became infected with the coronavirus.

TURKMENBASHI, Turkmenistan — (AP) — Leaders of five ex-Soviet Central Asian nations on Friday voiced concern about instability spilling from Afghanistan and discussed ways to coordinate their response to potential security threats. “A quick settlement of the situation in Afghanistan is a key factor for preserving and strengthening security and stability in Central Asia,” the five leaders said in a statement after the talks. Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also emphasized that stability in Central Asia hinges on the situation in Afghanistan. Russia, which has a security pact with Central Asian nations and military bases in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, has vowed to provide military assistance to fend off any potential threats coming from Afghanistan. Another military exercise by Russian, Tajik and Uzbek troops that began Thursday in Tajikistan near the border with Afghanistan involves 2,500 troops and 500 military vehicles.

The leaders of five ex-Soviet Central Asian nations have voiced concern about instability possibly spilling out of Afghanistan and discussed ways to coordinate their response to potential security threats.

A surge of Taliban wins in northern Afghanistan has caused some countries to close consulates in the area, while Tajikistan is calling up reservists to reinforce its southern border.

A surge of Taliban wins in northern Afghanistan has caused some countries to close their north Afghan consulates, while across the border in Tajikistan reservists are being called up to reinforce its southern border, according to officials and reports on Tuesday. Nearly 1,000 Afghan soldiers have fled the Taliban advances by crossing the border into Tajikistan, according to reports from Tajikistan.